Charging bucket for electric furnaces and the like



Oct. 23, 1945. JQM ILWRICK ETAL 2 CHARGING BUCKET FOR ELECTRIC FURNACES AND THE'LIKE Filed Dec. 11, 1944 Qlnuenturs I James MBILLurLmh-flfifififDEEJEUIELELTLE,

to burnofi.

. A'further and particular object or our inven- Patented Oct. 23, 1945 I CHARGING BUCKET FOR ELECTRIC FURNACES AND THE LIKE James McIlwrick and Oscar Desjardins,

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Application December 11, 1944, Serial No. 567,709

In Canada April 19, 1944 .6Claims. (Cl. 294-459) Our invention relates to a quick-release device for tripping open the bottom of a charging bucket as used in conjunction with electric furnaces and the like, and the object of our invention is to provide a manually operated device which will take the place of rope which is generally used for securing the bottom of the bucket.

The bottom of a standard furnace Charging bucket is generally formed of a plurality of triangular members which are hingedly secured to nace burnsaway the rope, consequently releasing the triangular members and thus permitting them to swing downwardly and the charge to drop through the thus opened bottomof the bucket into the furnace.

l :A particular object of our invention is to providea quick-release device which will take the placeof the rope and thus eliminate the cost or rope replacement and also the time which mustnecessarily be lost in Waiting for the rope aut sm provide a length of chain, or any other suitable: metal band which will'take the place of the rope, and to anchor one end of the chain to areleasable latch which will positively hold the chain in its encircling position but which canbe instantly and positively released.

With the foregoing and other objects in View,

as shall hereinafter appear, our invention consists of a. quick-release device all as hereinafter moreparticularly described and illustratedin the accompanying drawing in which:

ofthe latch mechanism showing it welded or {otherwise attached to a fragmentary portion of oneof the triangular members.

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the assembly shown in Figure 4, and

Figure 6 is a plan view of the mechanism.

, apex portion.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different views in the drawing.

Figures 1, 2 and 3 illustrate the general basic construction of the standard charging bucket which consists of a receptacle l adapted to receive the pieces of metal with which the furnace is charged. The bottom of the receptacle l carries a pluralityof downwardly extending hinged triangular plates 2 which are adapted to swing inwardly toward each other to form a bottom of inverted pyramidal shape. In general standard practice a rope is tied around the apices of the triangular plates and when the loaded bucket is swung over the furnace the heat gradually burns the rope away until it parts and permits the plates 2 to'swing downwardly and discharge the bucket. V

y In our device, We use a chain 3 or other suitable type of band which is adapted to encircle the apices of the triangular plates 2 in the same manner as the rope. In our construction one end of the chain} is anchored to one of the plates 2. The other end is left free to be passed around the plates 2.when they are'in the closed position; as

illustrated in Figure 1. The free end of the chain 3 is secured to a latch mechanism, as illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 6.

The latch mechanism comprises a solid bar 4 which is welded, or otherwise secured to the face of one of the members 2 in the vicinity of its The apices 5 of the members 2 are slightly hooked to carry rope or the chain of our device. The lower end of the bar 4 is substantially in alignment with thehooked :apices 5 and is formed with a bifurcated curved end B between the jaws of which a curved latch member 1 is pivoted on a bolt or spindle 8. The latch member 1 is adapted to be received within a link or ring 33 on the end of the chain 3 and when the device is locked the latch is in the upright position shown in full lines in Figure 4.

The latch is retained in its upright chain-retaining position by a substantially U-shaped release member .9. The open end of the member 9 straddles the bar 4 and is pivotally mounted thereon, being carried on a spindle or bolt I!) which passes through the legs of the member 9 and also through the bar 4.

A roller II is mounted between the legs of the the closed position. The latch rests against the roller which prevents the latch from swinging downwardly into the position illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 4. It will be apparent that when the member. 9 is swung upwardly towards the position as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 4; the roller ll will pass from out of contact with the latch 1 and thus permit the latch to swing downwardly .u-nder the' tension of the chain into the position illustratedin dotted lines in Figure 4 whereby the link at the end of the chain will slip off the latch. The loosening of the chain will, of course, permit the bottom of the bucket to open, as illustrated in Figure 2.

Upon reference to Figure 4, it will be seen that the upper corner l3 of the latch l is rounded so that as soon as the member 9 is moved upwardly even to a slight degree, the latch will swing downwardly as its rounded corner will be free to pass the roller.

To actuate the member 9 any suitable connection from the bucket to an exterior point may be used. In the drawing, we show a rod M which is formed at one end with a ring I 5 encircling the end of the member 9 and connected at its other end, as shown in Figure .3, .to a bell crank lever l6 which is pivotally mounted upon the bucket. A lever IT is also pivotally mounted on alug 4.8 at the side of the bucket and the lower end of the lever I1 is connected to the bell crank lever by .a chain [9.

The upper end of the lever 11 is connected to a cable 29. When the cable :is pulled, the bottom of the lever l1 swings inwardly and pulls the bell crank lever upwardly through the medium of :the chain l9. As the bell crank lever I5 swings upwardly, it pulls the rod M which, in turn, lifts the member 9 and permits the latch I to sw ng downwardly under the tension of the chain .3 so that the chain 3 is released. Before the bucket is recharged, the bottomplates 2 are swung inwardly and the chain 3 is passed around theapices and one of its links passed over the latch 1, which forth in the appended claims.

What we claim .as our invention is: 1. A quick release device of the character described adapted to encircle the apices of a plurality of downwardly swingable triangular members forming the inverted pyramidal bottom of a furnace charging bucket and-comprising aflexible band member encircling the apices of the triangular members, one end of the band being attached to one of the triangular members and the other end being free, a swingable latch extending through an orifice in the free endof the band when the band encircles the triangular members, a latch release member for retaining the latch in engagement with the band, .and means actuating the latch release member out of its latch retaining position whereby the latch swings under the tension of the band to disengage therefrom and free the end of the band.

2 A quick release device of the character described adapted to encircle the apices of a plurality of downwardly swingable triangular members forming the inverted pyramidal bottom of a furnace charging bucket and comprising a flexible band member encircling the apices of the triangular members, one end of the band being attached to one of the triangular members and the other end being free, a swingable latch ex- :tending through an orifice in the free end of the band when the band encircles the triangular members, a, latch release lever engaging the free end of the latch for retaining the latch in en- --gagement with the band, and means for actuating the latch release lever out of its latch retaining position whereby the latch swings under the tension of the band to disengage therefrom and free the end of the band.

.3. A quick release device of the character described adapted to encircle the apices of a plurality of downwardly swingable triangular members forming the inverted pyramidal bottom of a furnace charging bucket and comprising a flexible band member encircling the apices of the triangular members, one end of the band being attached to one .of the triangular members and the other end being free, a swingable latch extending through an orifice in the free end of the band when the band encircles the triangular members, a latch release lever, a roller mounted on said lever to engage the free end of the latch for retaining the latch in engagement with the band, and means for actuating the latch release .lever and its roller out of retaining engagement With the latch whereby the latch swings under the tension of the band to disengage therefrom and free the end of the band.

'4. A quick release device of .the character described adapted to encircle the apices of a plurality of downwardly swingable triangular members forming the inverted pyramidal bottom of a furnace charging-bucket and comprising a flexible band member encircling the apices of the triangular members, one end of the band being attached to one of the triangular'members and the other end being free, a swingable latch extending through an orifice in the free end of the band when the band encircles the triangular members, a U-shaped latch release member having its open end pivotally mounted on the, device and between the legs of which the latch extends,

a roller mounted between the legs of the latch release member 'to engage the free end of the latch for retaining the latch in engagement with the band, and means for actuating the latch release lever and its roller out of retaining engagerality of downwardly swingable triangular mem-- bers forming the invertedupyramidal bottom. of a furnace charging bucket-and comprising a chain encircling the apices of the triangular members,

one end of the chain being attached to one of the triangular members and the other end being free, a swingable latch extending through a link in the ireeencl of the chain when the chain encircles the triangular members, a latch release member for retaining the latch in engagement with the chain, and means actuating the latch {release memberout ,of its latch retaining position scribed adapted to encircle the apices of a plurality of downwardly swingable triangular members forming the inverted pyramidal bottom of a furnace charging bucket and comprising a chain encircling the apices of the triangular members, one end of the chain being attached to one of the triangular members and the other end being free, a swingable latch extending through a link in the free end of the chain when the chain encircles the triangular members, a U-shaped latch 10 release member having its open end pivotally the free end of thelatch for retaining the latch in engagement with the chain, a rod connected at one end to the free end of the latch release member, a bell crank lever to one leg of which the other end of the rod is connected, and means for actuating the bell crank lever whereby the rod is pulled to swing the latch release lever and its roller out of retaining engagement with the latch whereby the latch swings under the tension of the chain to disengage therefrom and free the end of the chain.

JAMES MCILWRICK.

OSCAR DESJARDINS. 

